STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
Twenty-two-year-old Shane Kelsey ended up on the second chairlift seat for Sun Valley’s 2022-23 opener. He wasn’t about to let that happen again so he took his place in the line at 3:58 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve, huddling in a sleeping bag on his chair through the night as he played video games and listened to music on his phone.
Never mind that there was just one lift and one 619-vertical foot run awaiting him.
“It’s worth it for bragging rights,” he said. “But I’m tired after not sleeping all night. I’m going to take one run and go home to bed.”
Sun Valley Resort’s 88th opening day came nowhere mirroring last year’s stellar start when nearly the entire River Run side, including the mogul runs, was open. But Its opening was far better than the winter of 1999-2000 when Sun Valley could not open the mountain on Thanksgiving Day amidst 60-degree temperatures. Instead, it reopened its golf courses for guests and sent others biking on the bike path.
This year’s less spectacular opening didn’t stop a few hundred people from turning out. And they had big smiles on their faces as they made turns on soft snow, thanks to an inch of snow Mother Nature had provided in the early morning hours.
“I love it,” said Megan Myrick, a recruiter for Sun Valley Company. “As a company we’re designed around skiing so we’re excited for opening day, for getting people skiing. It’s our passion.”
Tom Iselin concurred. “We’ve started the season before on Lower River Run. Snow or not, we have a lot to be thankful for.”
Sebastien Boiron shard the first chair with Kelsey and Parker Bridge and Jacoby Hayes.
“Last year was exciting because of the powder days and for the progress I made in my mogul skiing. I went from base level to nationals by taking care of myself—going to the gym, eating well, sleeping well, so I’m excited to get out there and start competing,” said the 16-year-old Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation athlete.
Skiers and boarders arriving at the resort were given commemorative mugs the color of yellow mustard. They matched the yellow jacket Betsy Service used to wear as a member of guest services and they matched her yellow gravel bike, outrigger canoe and car so she was delighted to add the color to her commemorative mug collection.
Erica and George Thorson were one of dozens who came out not to ski but to collect their commemorative mugs, greet friends on the patio outside and watch others ski.
Tim East marked his 36th season on the Sun Valley Ski Patrol, having coming here from Florida.
“I was headed to Alaska, stopped and never left,” he said. “Even with all the growth it’s still a very small town. The ski patrol doesn’t have much to do today since so little mountain is open, but there are some big piles of snow up higher waiting to get spread out over the runs.”
Sun Valley resident Art Dahl has been skiing at Sun Valley for 71 years--since 1952 when his family would make occasional pilgrimages from Twin Falls. Then, he said there were very few runs—only such runs as Lower River Run, Canyon and Exhibition.
Skiers had to ride a chairlift across the Big Wood River to get to the launching pad for the ride uphill. Dahl recounted how he wore wooden skis and leather boots and wrapped long straps holding the boots to his skis around his legs.
One time crossing the river, he said, the strap unraveled, sending his ski dangling in the river.
Carl Massaro has significantly fewer years skiing Sun Valley—just 50. But he made a point of showing up on opening day because, he said, he has to get started working towards his 100-day pin.
“I use them as cufflinks,” he said.
Massaro came to Sun Valley from Stowe, Vt., to work on the ski patrol. He lived on the second floor of the Sun Valley Inn.
“There was a time I could fly to Geneva inexpensively so I skied a lot of European resorts,” he said. “But they don’t have the good grooming and they have the crowds we don’t. The views there are wonderful, but the weather and snow is damper. And a lot of skiers get very drunk—the Russians especially—and I was hit by a number of them. I have no desire now to ski anywhere besides here.”
As skiers began to retreat to the lodge, they found several new dishes, including Mongolian Beef Stir Fry and Cauliflower Potato Kurma in the stir fry section presided over by Cuc Ho, who is marking his 20th year with the resort. Chicken tenders will be fresh and hand-dipped. And there will be poke bowls.
The River Run Lodge is also serving up farm fresh egg sandwiches and burritos prepared panini-style, pointed out Sun Valley’s Restaurant Head Jim Snyder.
The Lookout Restaurant will boast its popular line of tacos again this year, and pho is back at Warm Springs lodge, he added. Meanwhile hot dishes—pizza, burgers, lasagna and pasta—are returning to kid’s lunches at Dollar Mountain Lodge as it reverts to pre-COVID menus.